How to Thrive as a Teacher Leader

John G. Gabriel

• Publisher: ASCD
• Year: 2005
• Print ISBN: 9781416600312
• eBook ISBN: 9781416616078
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Challenging times demand dynamic leadership. Schools rely on teachers to assume a variety of leadership roles, both formal and informal, including department chair, peer coach, faculty representative, and Web page curator. With little or no leadership training, however, many teachers are unprepared to take advantage of such opportunities.

In How to Thrive as a Teacher Leader, John G. Gabriel explores the responsibilities and rewards of teacher leadership, offering practical, positive advice on

* identifying leadership qualities and building a team,
* enhancing communication and earning respect,
* overcoming obstacles and implementing change,
* energizing colleagues and strengthening morale, and
* improving student and teacher achievement.

From setting goals to mediating conflicts, from mentoring colleagues to motivating students, Gabriel provides clear strategies—grounded in experience and illustrated by examples—for becoming an effective teacher leader. A generous resource section, including sample letters, surveys, and checklists, enables readers to quickly put these techniques into practice.

Whether you aspire to a leadership position or are in a position to inspire future leaders, this insightful and informative book will help you lead the way to success.

Chapter 1

Organizational Leadership: Nurturing Leadership in Your School

For nearly a century, schools have functioned in the autocratic style of the line-staff model: principals are managers and teachers are their employees, often voiceless and powerless to influence their superiors’ quest to improve student achievement. But with the growing emphasis on high-stakes testing and the advent of No Child Left Behind, many school leaders are seeking more effective organizational behavior by drawing on the leadership potential of all stakeholders, especially teachers.

Schools making this change are creating and expanding teachers’ roles as leaders. For principals, this trend is a shift from “relying on the power of the system” to “seeking to empower others”—or, more specifically, a shift from “seeking to be in control” to “letting go of control and building a community of relationships that tends to be self-organizing” (Caine & Caine, 2000, p. 8). Lending support to the need for transformation, Buchen (2000) argues that “the only leadership that will make a difference is that of teachers. They alone are positioned where all the fulcrums are for change. They alone know what the day-to-day problems are and what it takes to solve them. They, not the principals, should be the ones to hire new teachers. They know what is needed.”

A task force report from the School Leadership for the 21st Century Initiative (2001) echoes these sentiments. It states: “Mischaracterized though they often are as incompetent know-nothings, teachers are, paradoxically, also widely viewed as … indispensable but unappreciated leaders in the truest meaning of the word.… It would be difficult to find a more authentic but unacknowledged example of leadership in modern life” (p. 1). The report claims that teachers are essential to reform and that they possess a body of knowledge yet to be exploited.

But we already knew that. That’s common sense.

We educators also knew that the role ripest for this kind of metamorphosis is that of the department chair in high schools or the team leader in elementary and middle schools.

Teachers can be dynamic forces fully capable of effecting change.

Department chairs and team leaders walk a fine line: they are neither teacher nor administrator. They nurture colleagues and teach alongside them, but they also must retain allegiance to their administrators. They lack line authority. Considering how essential teacher leaders are to improving achievement, this is perhaps the most curious aspect of their roles. They are constantly reminded, by both administrators and teachers, of all they cannot do—regardless of their potential for positive change, which is often greater than that of all other leaders in a school because of their broad sphere of influence.

Teacher leaders possess a semblance of authority but no formal power—only the illusion of power. For example, a department chair cannot complete teacher evaluations. She cannot place a memo or letter in someone’s personnel file, nor can she dismiss a teacher. As a result, she must find other ways to motivate, mobilize, and lead teachers. She must rely on intrinsic leadership abilities, knowledge of group dynamics, influence, respect, and leadership by example to boost the productivity of her department.

In myopic schools, the role of department chair is limited to that of a paper pusher. These schools view the teacher leader as someone who will complete the master schedule, order supplies, maintain inventory, and pass along administrative directives to the department. These schools either don’t know how else to capitalize on the strengths of their teacher leaders or are uncomfortable doing so. True, these traditional responsibilities are critical to maintaining the wellness of a school, but in terms of improving the health of an organization, forward-thinking schools have moved beyond this.

In schools where transformational leadership is present, administrators recognize that the leadership of a department chair or team leader can make a significant difference to the climate and culture of the school. They are not threatened by a teacher’s influence or exercise of leadership, nor by giving up some control. These administrators strive to encourage and cultivate leadership and “make better use of the unique strengths and contributions [that] department heads can bring to school management and improvement” (Weller, 2001, p. 80). At these schools, teacher leaders act as coaches and mentors, observe classrooms so that instruction can be refined and best practices implemented, and attempt to realize a vision or to “reculture” the environment. With the pressure of high-stakes testing and the need to meet state and federal benchmarks, administrators rely on these leaders to improve achievement and even defer to them in certain instances.

Roles for Teacher Leaders

Although the traditional teacher leader is still important in a school, other leadership positions can have as much influence in ensuring student achievement. These roles offer teachers a greater voice in shaping programs, supporting the mission, and guiding a team toward its goal, which will ultimately help the students and the school achieve.

Not all leadership positions are formal in nature. Every school has teacher leaders who do not serve—and may never have served—as official leaders, which is one of the most unique components of teacher leadership. In any kind of organization, informal leaders command a great deal of respect; they have much say and sway in determining a team’s climate or the chances of a proposal’s adoption, and they are often sought after for advice.

Similarly, not all leadership roles are fixed—meaning assigned, specific positions. Someone might act as a mentor one week and then assume the role of innovator with a unique proposal the following week. These fluid and spontaneous roles are just as essential as the leader to the success of the team. Ideally, these people are the supporters whom the leader can trust and turn to for help in a variety of matters.

It is also expected that leadership roles will change, shift, and evolve over time. If someone was a team leader for the past five years, it does not guarantee him that role for a sixth year. Leadership roles should not be determined by seniority. Therefore, if standardized results are marginal or a teacher’s leadership is questionable, a change is warranted. Don’t be afraid to make changes; change, along with its potential for struggle and conflict, is often an essential ingredient of success.

Leaders are both teachers and learners.

If you are a department chair or team leader, you probably have already realized how difficult it is to accomplish everything that your job entails. Effective teacher leaders are usually given more responsibility, whether they want it or not, so you need to learn how not to overburden your teachers and how to say no (and that there is nothing wrong in doing so) to avoid burnout. Although the following leadership positions can enhance teachers’ professional self-worth, these roles are equally significant to you: delegating (not avoiding) responsibility is critical if you hope to succeed as a leader.

Moreover, these roles can be vehicles for grooming future leaders. Aside from becoming a department chair, counselor, or administrator, a teacher has very little opportunity for career advancement within a school building. Not only can the leadership possibilities below benefit a school or a program, they can also spark interest in pursuing a position at the central office or collegiate level, where teachers can have an even greater influence on education.

Grade Level/Subject Area Leader

The grade level leader coordinates specific organizational needs (whether the 5th grade will take its annual class trip to Philadelphia, what supplies to order, and so on), and he runs meetings that address concerns and strategies regarding specific students.

This leadership position is often further broken down by content area or instructional concerns. Through horizontal alignment, the subject area specialist coordinates curriculum across the grade level, providing instructional leadership and support to teachers of a common subject. For instance, the subject leader might call a meeting to discuss why some 6th graders are having more success than others in comprehending photosynthesis, and which strategies have been effective in conveying the concept.

Monitoring the instruction and assessments of the teachers on the grade level is paramount since every student in each subject area is expected to possess the same set of skills and body of knowledge at the end of the year. These leaders initiate curriculum mapping and scrutinize the assessments used. Analyzing data also plays a large role in improving student achievement, so leaders should be aware of the most recent data about the team and its progress toward certain benchmarks. Finally, these leaders create staff development opportunities for their teams, because they best know the challenges that the teams face.

Vertical Leader

This role is similar to the above, except that the leader is in charge of seeing that curriculum is aligned up and down the grade levels. For example, the 6th grade vertical team leader ensures that students have acquired the knowledge and skills in their previous math classes that they need for success at the benchmark level. If not, leaders find ways to tighten the instruction and the curriculum. They also promote collaboration and share pertinent content literature.

Backup Leader

Train future leaders by rotating teachers as the backup to your position. Invest time to sit down with them and explain the nature of your job, or to discuss situations that arise during the course of your day. You might have them proofread one of your e-mail messages so they can learn about the issues you deal with (plus, it is always a good idea to have an extra set of eyes look over something you wrote).

Let them join you in interviews. Afterward, meet with them immediately to explain your line of questioning or to see what characteristics of the applicant they picked up on. Send them in your place to meetings where they will learn how time-consuming, and at times frustrating, a leadership position can be and how to cope with that. Have them assume your responsibilities when you are absent.

Basically, let them experience your experience, similar to an informal internship where they can get an overview of your position and its nuances. While you are equipping them with essential skills and knowledge, you may be creating your successor for when you move on. Even if you don’t leave in the near future, your backup will have been trained to take a leadership position elsewhere. As one of my administrators used to preach, begin the cycle anew and help reform education from within.

Mentor

This person takes on the responsibility of coaching and advising novice teachers and teachers who are new to the school system. With more and more novice teachers leaving the field within the first few years of teaching, the mentor is not only concerned with instructional and organizational needs; he also lends emotional and moral support to alleviate the stress that the job creates.

A mentor need not always be the strongest instructional leader, but he should have a solid grounding in best practices and his content area. He should be able to suggest ideas and strategies to assist in classroom instruction. And he must be astute enough to read people (that is, he must be perceptive and have a high emotional intelligence). Because of the importance of retaining teachers, new employees should be carefully placed and matched with mentors, either by a lead mentor, who oversees mentors in the entire building, or by the team or department leader. (See Resource 1.)

Peer Coach

Not a new concept, peer coaching has received much attention in recent years and is embraced and advanced in some school districts. A peer coach is similar to a mentor except that with this pair, both teachers—not necessarily novices—function as mentor and as protégé. In this relationship, the word “peer” is key. Because peer denotes equality, these teachers’ classroom visits are nonthreatening. They are not evaluative and prescriptive; they are diagnostic and constructive, allowing teachers to experiment and take risks without fear of judgment.

After each has observed the other in class, peer coaches discuss observed instructional behaviors, actions, and practices, which can include giving feedback on plans, lessons, instruction, classroom presence, and classroom management. There is a safe environment among these volunteers that enables them to converse in a candid manner and learn from each other. This ultimately benefits the teachers’ growth, the team’s growth, and the students’ growth.

Note-Taker/Recorder

It is imperative to keep a record of every meeting because we tend to have selective memories, especially when we are passionate about an issue. An accurate record of what was discussed and what was decided can be helpful in case of future disagreement, as well as in bringing people who missed the meeting up to speed.

Minutes should document who was present, who was absent, and who was late. Working from an agenda, the note-taker keeps a record of issues and questions raised and the resulting dialogue, outcomes, and resolutions. In circumstances where there may be rancor over what the minutes reflect, it might be prudent to have two people record them and compare notes to ensure their accuracy.

Although it might be interpreted that the note-taker is in cahoots with you if she sits next to you, proximity can be helpful. It enables her to look over your shoulder at your own notes in case she misses something and to stay on top of every issue. It is also a good idea to keep the minutes in a central place so all teachers, regardless of what team they are serving on, have access to them.

Parliamentarian/Timekeeper

This person alleviates the team leader’s responsibilities by keeping the group on task with the agenda. After a stressful day of work, it is natural for a meeting to degenerate into a complaint session or, in worse cases, a complete digression into the social lives of the group’s members. This leader keeps the group plowing ahead and reminds members when they are nearing the cutoff or have exceeded the time limit for a topic. Meetings should be productive, and the main reason they often are not is that someone has been allowed to derail the group and pursue his own topics of discussion while everyone waits for someone else to intervene.

Presenter

Too often schools are obsessed with spending money to send teachers to conferences outside the system when the answers, knowledge, and resources are right there within their own walls. Both weak and strong school systems tend to underuse the extraordinary wealth of talent they possess.

Target one of your teacher’s strengths and ask him to give a presentation. Or ask someone, or a team, to read a professional article and report back to the group on it. This role is by no means fixed. For example, the team leader can begin by selecting someone to present. Then the role should rotate through the team, perhaps in a “popcorn” fashion (often used during reading activities), where the last person to present picks the next person to present. This kind of staff development should be the focus for most of your team meetings.

Conference Attendee

After you have exhausted your team’s resources, try to send your teachers to seminars, depending on your budget. They should also attend local, state, and national conferences. However, this should not be a free vacation. The attendee should clearly understand that she is responsible for bringing information back to the team at the next meeting. This sharing can lead to further meeting topics and action research.

Speaker/Writer

Have your teachers identify something that they do extremely well and encourage them to polish, organize, and market it by submitting proposals to present at conferences. Or encourage them to share their experiences and successes by writing articles for various educational journals. These are great opportunities for them to grow professionally and to network—and it brings your school good publicity. Moreover, if they impress someone with their presentation or article, then that could turn into a speaking engagement—a chance to make a few extra dollars with little additional preparation. As one colleague explained, a strong presentation is like an annuity because it keeps on paying.

School Plan Chair

Contrary to how it is viewed and used (or not used) in some schools, the school plan is a vital, fluid document that should guide your team toward improving student achievement. The role of school plan chair usually does not rotate because consistency and continuity are extremely important. The school plan chair has an integral position in coordinating and guiding the school toward achieving its vision.

People should not feel penalized for holding this position in spite of the work it might entail. If your school functions in a collegial and cooperative manner, a team leader or department chair will not have to bear the brunt of this responsibility. The school plan chair should be charismatic, compassionate, and organized. She will be working with all the teachers in the building; a group effort is needed to create or enhance this document.

Faculty Representative

Some school systems have faculty councils where teacher leaders bring team, department, and faculty issues to the administration. If teachers are concerned that a tardy policy is not being enforced, for example, then the faculty representative would bring this issue to the council. Other school systems have a council where teachers can bring issues directly to the superintendent. If teachers are concerned about the number of inservice days that the county is mandating, this would be the forum to bring such a concern. And, finally, some schools have instructional councils that teachers sit on, where leaders discuss issues pertaining to classroom and buildingwide instruction.

A faculty representative seeks out the questions, concerns, and issues of his colleagues and brings them, verbatim when possible, to a more powerful body. He could set up a drop-box in the building or, with the aid of the building’s technology specialist, establish an e-mail account that would protect the anonymity of teachers posting or sending messages. This leader brings back minutes to the team or school so people know what has been decided and can confirm that their concerns have been accurately represented.

A union representative is a similar position. A strong teacher advocate, the union rep listens to faculty concerns and works closely with the administration and external bodies. This leader, who in many ways is a watchdog, pr...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Dedication
• Epigraph
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1. Organizational Leadership: Nurturing Leadership in Your School
• Chapter 2. Strategic Leadership: Assembling Your Team
• Chapter 3. Interpersonal Leadership: Communicating Your Leadership
• Chapter 4. Adaptive Leadership: Navigating Challenges and Effecting Change
• Chapter 5. Motivational Leadership: Building Climate and Community
• Chapter 6. Instructional Leadership: Improving Student and Teacher Achievement
• Afterword
• Resources
• About the Author
• Related ASCD Resources
• Study Guide
• Copyright